tonight at ten, donald trump seemingly at odds with some of his key nominees for senior positions. do you solemnly swear to give the committee the truth, the full truth and nothing but the truth, so help me god? his choice for head of the cia praises the intelligence community, hours after mr trump had criticised them. i have seen their morale through tough times, where they've been challenged before, and i've watched them walk through fire, to make sure that they did theirjobs in a professional way. mr trump had blamed security officials for leaking unproven allegations about him. they have denied doing so. those claims were in a report written by christopher steele, a former mi6 officer who's now gone into hiding. we'll have the latest from washington, and from moscow, with eight days to mr trump's inauguration. also tonight. nearly 28 years after hillsborough, prosecutors consider bringing charges against 23 people and organisations. snow and bad weather have swept across northern ireland, scotland, and parts of england, causing major disruption

in some areas. tributes to the former england football manager graham taylor, who's died at the age of 72. and we speak to the writer of la la land — the man who's brought the art of the musical back to hollywood. and coming up in sportsday later in the hour on bbc news, west ham's star player dimitri payet goes on strike and demands a transfer, but the club say they won't sell him. good evening. donald trump seems to be at odds with some of his key cabinet nominees on some of the vital questions facing the new administration. his choice for new head of the cia, mike pompeo, has strongly endorsed

the work of the us intelligence community — hours after it was criticised by the president—elect. and generaljames mattis, nominated for defense secretary, accused russia of trying to break up nato and of being a threat to europe — in contrast to mr trump's wish for much closer ties with president putin. our correspondent nick bryant reports from washington. a week before inauguration day, it's usually an air of expectancy that you'll find on capitol hill. next friday, they'll be playing hail to the chief as donald trump takes centre stage. but the mood now is much more feverish, much more surreal, as front—page allegations swirl that russia has compromising information about the president—elect which would make him susceptible to blackmail. do you solemnly swear... today, donald trump's choice as the new cia director was on capitol hill, claiming the new allegations are unsubstantiated, but agreeing the kremlin tried to interfere

with the election. it's pretty clear about what took place here, about russian involvement in efforts to hack information and to have an impact on american democracy. i'm very clear about what that intelligence report says and have every expectation, as we continue to develop the facts, i will relay those not only to the president but the team around him and to you all, so that we all can have a robust discussion about how to take on what is an enormous threat from cyber. as for the latest allegations contained in the unverified dossier... i promise i will pursue the facts wherever they take us. also on capitol hill, the incoming defence secretary, james "mad dog" mattis, taking aim at vladimir putin, putting russia at the top of his list of threats to america. i am all for engagement, but we also have to recognise reality and what russia is up to, and there is a decreasing number of areas where we can engage co—operatively and an increasing

number of areas where we are going to have to confront russia. from trump tower yesterday, the president—elect rejected the unverified allegations that russia had dirt on him in strong and colourful language. you are fake news. go ahead. and after speaking last night to america's director of national intelligence, james clapper, he was just as vehement on twitter. james clapper called me yesterday to denounce the false and fictitious report that was illegally circulated, made up, phoney facts, too bad. but intelligence chiefs have made no determination about the credibility of the claims. the intelligence community has not made any judgment that the information in this document is reliable, and we didn't rely upon it in any way for our conclusion, said james clapper in a statement. i emphasised this document is not a us intelligence community product and that i don't believe the leaks came from within the intelligence community. the ongoing rift with the intelligence community and the open disagreement with senior appointees over russia aren't donald trump's only problems.

he's also been slammed by the us government's ethics chief. it's over his plan to hand control of the trump business empire to his sons, but for a0 years residents have created independent blind trusts to avoid conflicts of interest. the presidency is a full—time job and he would have had to step back anyway. the idea of setting up a trust to hold his operating businesses adds nothing to the equation. this is not a blind trust, it's not even close. washington is a city used to ethics questions and alleged scandal, but nothing like this on the eve of an inauguration. nick bryant, bbc news, washington. a former mi6 officer has gone into hiding, after being named as the source of the latest allegations against donald trump. christopher steele produced a dossier last year, which included allegations that mr trump had been caught in compromising financial and sexual activity. the allegations are unproven. america's intelligence chiefs say no

judgment has been made on their credibility. our security correspondent gordon corera reports on the british connection. the murky world of intelligence gathering in moscow. a secret dossier of allegations about donald trump and russia, all written by a former member of mi6 — the british secret service. this is christopher steele, the author. a man used to keeping a low profile, but who is now at the centre of international controversy. his house was unoccupied today. the 52—year—old was supposed to have told neighbours to look after his cats. he's said to be lying low, fearing for his safety. in the 1990s, he worked in moscow, undercoverfor mi6, and became one of their russian experts. in london, after leaving mi6, he and a former colleague founded orbis — a private intelligence company. orbis are headquartered here. there's no sign of chris steele though. companies like this normally try and keep a low profile. they rely on their contacts, sometimes from their past

in the intelligence world, to gather information. last year, donald trump's opponents, republican and then democrat, commissioned investigators to see what damaging material they could find. among those was christopher steele, whose work unearthed allegations about trump's sex life, business dealings and his campaigns relationship with the kremlin. these were passed to the news media, who tried to investigate, but couldn't confirm the allegations. details were also passed to the fbi and to politicians, who began asking questions. last week, us intelligence briefed trump about the existence of the memos, without saying they were true. and that led to a news outlet publishing the memos two days ago. because he was an ex—mi6 officer, steele is unlikely to have been able to travel to moscow himself, so instead will have relied on intermediaries to gather information. moscow is a difficult place to work in. the russians have a habit, because of their history,

of secrecy and deception. the other complicating factor is money. people, if you're going to give someone money to tell you something, there is a strong possibility that they will tell you what you want to hear. alexander litvinenko also investigated the kremlin for private intelligence companies and was working with mi6 when steele was there. litvinenko was poisoned by radioactive polonium on the orders, it's thought, of the kremlin. his widow told me these investigations carry real risks. i believe it's very dangerous, particularly after the death of my husband. because when you just approach very specific information, particularly when this information is really close to very powerful people, you might be on this line and you might easily be killed. the russian dossier was not written for public consumption and its extraordinary allegations have not been proven. it's author also never expected to be in the spotlight.

but in the feverish atmosphere of american politics today, secrets are no longer as safe as they were. gordon corera, bbc news. russia says a significant american military build—up in poland is a threat to russia's national security. more than 3000 troops, together with tanks and armoured vehicles, are being deployed along nato's eastern front, in the biggest us military reinforcement in europe for decades. 0ur defence correspondent jonathan beale has been watching the american contingent arrive. the americans are coming, back into europe in force. we joined an armoured convoy as it crossed from germany into poland, nearing the end of theirjourney that started in colorado. eagerly awaited in a nation that's

been waiting for us support. what signal do you think it will send to moscow? that we are ready to do everything. it's a normal militaryjob to defend a country, to defend family, to defend the world. they came by road and by rail, an entire armoured brigade of 3,500 troops and hundreds of vehicles. three years ago, in less tense times, the last american tanks left europe. now they've brought more than 80 of them back. but, while they've been welcomed with open arms, the decision to send them was taken by president 0bama and, as he prepares to hand over power, the question — will the next president soon be telling them to return home? you don't expect to get an order to turn round from the new president? no, sir, we're focused here on this mission right now and we're very proud to be here. the soldiers are very proud to be here and the formation is great, very strong. it's going great and we're going to remain committed to that because it's important. over the next few days,

the steady stream of trains carrying us heavy armour will be arriving here in western poland, all part of the largest us military build—up in europe since the end of the cold war. and, while america says this is all about reassuring nato allies, russia sees it as a direct threat. translation: it is obvious that the goal of these efforts, as well as hasty deployment of heavy military assets in europe, is an attempt of the outgoing 0bama administration to complicate as much as possible these bilateral relations. britain, too, is boosting its defence of eastern europe, taking command of nato's high readiness force and with plans to send hundreds of troops to estonia and poland. the nato alliance wants to send a strong message to russia, but that will largely depend on donald trump. jonathan beale, bbc news, western poland. where do we stand after today's

events ? in a moment we'll speak to nick bryant in washington, but first to sarah rainsford in moscow. some harsh words from mr trump's nominees today. how will that go down in the kremlin? if they are worried about this in the kremlin, they are certainly not showing it. officials are continuing to deny that russia had any role, any interference, in the us elections. but whether you believe them or not, president putin is watching everything that is happening now in the united states and he's probably pretty pleased with it, especially when he looks at the chaos and division we see there now. yes, there have been some tough words from some of donald trump's nominees for the topjobs in his from some of donald trump's nominees for the top jobs in his team, from some of donald trump's nominees for the topjobs in his team, and i think perhaps that reset of relations that some people here were expecting might not be so easy. yes, we have heard from the kremlin today, that they are not happy about the deployment of american troops to

russia's border in poland, but let's look at the bigger picture. because blood —— as amir putin's agenda for sometime now has been all about reasserting russia as a global power, a force to be reckoned with. the very suggestion there are people around the world who are questioning whether donald trump, whether russia actually has the dirt on donald trump to have the us president in its pocket, i think that is something that president putin here can be pretty satisfied with. let's go to nick in washington. these apparent divisions opening up today, between some of the nominees and mr trump himself, what should we read into those? we've seen a preview of the fierce resistance that donald trump will encounter in washington as he tries to warm relations with was a mere putin. from the republican establishment, members of his own party like senatorjohn mccain, from the defence establishment, seniorfigures mccain, from the defence establishment, senior figures in mccain, from the defence establishment, seniorfigures in the pentre men and even senior figures within his own administration. you heard their general mattis being highly critical of russia. the views

vladimir putin, the former kgb spy master, very much in cold war terms, and all this as the intelligence community continues its probe into the alleged interference by russia into the us presidential election last year. and intelligence community that is very angry that yesterday, donald trump compared them to nazi germany. nick bryant, in washington and sarah rainsford in moscow. investigators into the hillsborough football disaster — which happened in 1989 — have announced that 23 people and organisations could face prosecution. files have been passed to the crown prosecution service, which will decide whether or not to press charges. last year, new inquests into the deaths of 96 people found they were unlawfully killed — and the fans were not to blame. our correspondent judith moritz reports. # walk on, walk on...# they called itjustice day — a moment of history, the ruling that 96 liverpool fans were unlawfully killed at hillsborough.

it was the verdict their families wanted so badly, amongst them charlotte hennessy, who was just six when her dad,jimmy, died. nine months on, charlotte and the other families have now learned that 23 people and organisations could face prosecution. there are people that i believe that have committed criminal offences, and i think that they should be brought to justice for that because, if 96 south yorkshire police officers had died that day and liverpool fans were responsible, they'd probably still be paying the price for that now. operation resolve investigated the disaster itself. it identified 15 criminal suspects. offences being considered include gross negligence manslaughter. we don't know who the suspects are or if they include match commander david duckenfield. at the inquest, the jury found that the fans were unlawfully killed and that he was responsible for gross negligence. the ipcc investigated allegations of a cover—up and has identified eight criminal suspects. offences being considered include misconduct in a public

office and perverting the course of justice. the former chief constable, sir norman bettison, has revealed that he has been treated as a suspect by the ipcc. it isn't known whether his name has been put forward for a charging decision. at the inquest, he said he was not part of a black propaganda unit set up to blame liverpool fans. long since the noise of celebration has died down here, there is still a clamourforjustice in this city. but those who campaigned for so long will have to remain patient. it will be months before they find out who, if anyone, will face prosecution. some families say they're disappointed at the number of suspects being considered for the alleged cover—up. it is a very big investigation. they've waited nearly 28 years to get to this stage and some of them were hoping for more, clearly. what we've been seeking, in terms of these allegations, is, if there is that evidence of a cover—up, who were the controlling minds?

campaigners say that, as well as truth and justice, they must have accountability. the crown prosecution service said it could be another six months before it decides on charges. judith moritz, bbc news. freezing weather is causing disruption across much of the uk, with snow showers and strong winds across scotland, northern ireland, parts of wales and the north of england. in southern britain heavy rain turned to snow, causing icy roads. coastal flood warnings have been issued and residents are being moved out of a village in essex. our correspondent duncan kennedy has the latest. scotland, where the gorgeous meets the treacherous. and the place where the snow laid its deepest and widest blanket. powerful winds piled up the drifts, creating scenery beyond postcard perfect. but it was enough to do this to the m71; near glasgow. drivers spent hours crawling

to their destinations. in northern ireland the traffic moved, but on roads that gritters struggled to keep covered. it was the same in cumbria, where gritters had to make multiple trips to keep routes ice free. because we're trying to get salt on the network, every time we're doing that the rain is coming and washing that off, so the salt levels are then reduced, so we have to then top it up. so that's why people will see the gritters constantly going round the routes. head south, and historic worcestershire was another county coated by the passing weather front. it's ok if you're walking, but when it comes to driving, we don't do it. really nice. so pretty. it's the first time she's seen snow so we brought her up to have a look. here around london and the south—east there's been a combination of sleet and snow that's come in today. here at heathrow they cancelled around 80 flights

because of today's weather. but this wintery surge isn't just about what's coming out of the sky. britain's east coast is tonight preparing for sea flooding. i'm upset and i'm frightened. after the last flood i had a couple of strokes and i don't want that again. i'm sorry, i'm going to cry. the army has been sent to lincolnshire tonight, to alert people to the possibility of tidal flooding. around 100 soldiers are on stand—by. and, with freezing temperatures over the next few hours, this seasonal beauty comes with a winter warning. duncan kennedy, bbc news. we can talk to our correspondent danny savage in skegness tonight. danny, what's the latest? the army

lorries are here outside skegness police station. the soldiers are going door—to—door. we have been talking to residents who say they are reassured but slightly alarmed to see soldiers knocking on their door. they are warning them about the potential for flooding tomorrow, with this storm surge coming down the north sea, a strong northerly wind coupled with higher than average tides could push the sea over the defences. there is every chance those defences will hold but there is concern forjust over 3000 properties between the humber and the wash, that the defences may be breached and they may get flooded, but it will depend on the conditions around high tide tomorrow, at 6:30am and again at 7:30pm. it's an anxious 24 and again at 7:30pm. it's an anxious 2a hours ahead for people on the coast of lincolnshire and round into east anglia, suffolk and essex. coast of lincolnshire and round into east anglia, suffolk and essexm kew, danny savage in skegness. the new secretary—general

of the united nations, antonio guterres, has said cypriot leaders are close to reaching a deal on reuniting the former british colony of cyprus. the island has been divided for a0 years after turkey invaded the north and later declared it an independent country. it's not internationally recognised. in 2004, a un plan to reunify the turkish—controlled north and the republic of cyprus in the south was put to a vote. the greek cypriots rejected it. one of the main obstacles is the presence of 30,000 turkish troops — something greek cypriots say is unacceptable. our special correspondent, fergal keane, has been to the island to see what is at stake. at nicosia's abandoned airport today, remnants of europe's longest unresolved conflict. an escalating civil war that led to invasion and partition. there is an air attack on the airport of nicosia. with a deal now possible, this is a reminder of why the geneva

talks matter so much in a place where memories are still vivid. we were gathered at the garden of the hospital, turkish hospital, and they took all the men to prison. they burned the turkish flag and they put on the greek flag. for more than a0 years, the conflict on cyprus defied the best efforts of the united nations and the european union, at resolution. the result was a generation that grew up knowing only the division of this island. and listening to their parents' stories of dispossession. the un patrol the buffer zone

between the two sides. here, turkish—occupied cyprus is a few metres away, still scarred by old battles. but now the talks have given maria hope she can go home to the village she was driven from four decades ago. everybody left, all the greeks left? yes. we crossed the green line to see her old house, now occupied by a turkish family. do you think you will ever, even with the peace deal, be able to come back here? among turkish villagers we found good will, though some worry about property being reclaimed

and fear extremists could try to wreck a deal. an abandoned turkish village, a vision of the old cyprus. but this peace choir of greeks and turks are a symbol of the new. of what so many here are willing their leaders to achieve. the world's first tidal lagoon to capture green energy from the sea is likely to be built in swansea bay. the proposal has now been supported in an official review and there are hopes of developing a network of larger lagoons around the british coast. a network of tidal lagoons could generate more than 10% of the uk's electricity by 2030.

that's enough energy to power some 9 million homes. it would also result in a 36% cut in the uk's co2 emissions by 2035. but, as sian lloyd reports from swansea, there are some concerns being expressed. the plan is to generate power from the ebb and flow of the tide. and today, supporters of a lagoon in swansea bay believe a bright future for this type of renewable energy is on the horizon. voice over: we want the lagoon to become more than just a power station. a sea wall more than six miles long will loop across the bay. energy harnessed by 16 hydroelectric turbines. today's report says tidal lagoons can deliver a secure supply of clean energy, and give companies like this one, which already makes turbines, the chance to help the uk become the global leader in this new technology. mark shorrock leads the private company behind the lagoon project. it's great when a government review spends six months crawling over

every aspect of what the potential of tidal is and says, yes, we agree, there'sjobs to be had, there's cheap power to be had, there's a global industry to be had in the uk. but his plans for three further lagoons in wales and two in england would be delayed until the impact of the smaller swansea scheme is assessed. on cost, the report does suggest that in the long term, lagoons could compare favourably with nuclear. a view shared by this independent energy expert. we don't have an enormous number of options in terms of decarbonisation. this particular project adds about 25p per annum to consumer bills. yeah, it's an experiment. but if it does work, we may have unlocked substantial potential. but other questions remain, including the impact on marine life. these charter boat owners, who take anglers out of swansea marina, are worried fish stocks will be significantly depleted. the scheme will impact on the cod and the whiting,

which is the main fishing ground. if the food chain isn't there, then the cod will go looking for their food elsewhere and they will not come into swansea. that will be the end of that, there will be no more fish. the prospect ofjobs and a boost for the local economy makes the tidal lagoon attractive to many people who live here. but it will still be for the uk government to decide whether it is a scheme they should invest in. it will now consider the report's recommendations, while the body responsible for protecting the environment in wales has yet to grant the marine licence needed before any work could begin. sian lloyd, bbc news, swansea. the former england football manager, graham taylor, has died at the age of 72. he managed england from 1990 until 1993 and was a highly successful club manager at lincoln, watford and aston villa. tributes have come in from all parts of the game. our sports correspondent, nathalie pirks, looks back at his life and career.

the sound of hitting a football thrills me. football was in graham taylor's soul. from managing lincoln city... i think i've got qualities as regards coaching. ..to the highs and lows of the england job, he remained passionate about his first love. in 1977, hejoined elton john's watford. fans there call him god. three promotions in five years tells you why. he turned them into the family club during an age of hooliganism. there was also an fa cup final to cherish. he had that smile that would make you feel comfortable and you could talk to him. he always tried to help you in whatever situation you found yourself in and he would give advice. for me, he was my dad when it comes to football. aston villa first came calling in 1987. he led the club to promotion a year later, and that turned the heads of the fa in 1990.

do i not like that. those five simple words would come to define his england career. in his three years as coach, he was depicted as a tabloid turnip and pilloried for england's failure to reach the 9a world cup. but the man who taylor gave his first england cap to says his honesty was refreshing. one of the reasons i admired him and liked him so much was, you never got any bull from him, he was just straight down the middle and told it as it was. some people didn't like that but i loved it, i certainly admired that. he was honoured but surprised to receive an obe for services to football — his friends were not. tonight, sir eltonjohn described him as "like a brother to me". wembley also paid tribute as the sport mourns the loss of one of the game's true gents. the former england manager graham taylor, who has died at the age of 72. the big winner at the golden globes was the jazz musical la la land.

it's also received more bafta nominations than any other film and it opens in the uk tomorrow. it's a celebration of the great tradition of hollywood romantic musicals, starring ryan gosling as a struggling musician, and emma stone as an aspiring actress. our arts editor, will gompertz, has been speaking to the writer and director. # city of stars # are you shining just for me?# welcome to la la land, the hollywood musical starring emma stone and ryan gosling, which looks like it's going to sing and dance itself to oscars glory. it is a genre of film—making which its 31—year—old writer and director thinks is unfairly derided for being a bit naff. this idea of musicals as still being vibrant and vital... i don't think that they're the outdated thing that they get labelled as sometimes.